Pritchard's Playoff Performance: Celtics' X-Factor

0:00It's April 13th. This is Boston Celtics News today, AI-powered stories from Inside Your Team. The Boston Celtics tip off their playoff chase this Sunday against the winner of the Sixers Magic Play-in game. ESPN analyst Dean Oliver points to Peyton Pritchard as the X-Factor who could make or break their first round run. This 28-year-old guard has been a spark plug all season, but his ups and downs might spell trouble early. Pritchard hit career highs with 17 points, five assists, and nearly four rebounds per game, logging over 32 minutes nightly. He's a deadly shooter, whether starting or coming off the bench, ranking fourth in minutes behind the big three. Yet Oliver calls him one of the league's most inconsistent players with 23 hot nights and 17 conquers. When Pritchard heats up, Boston rolls. He dropped 25 or more 16 times, and the Celtics won the last 15 of those. But they went just seven and eight when he dipped under 10 points, like those wild swings in March, with back-to-back zeros around a 25 point.

1:04Explosion. Lately though, he steadyed the ship, scoring double digits in his last 14 games, including 23 against the Knicks and 21. Versus the Hornets. That hot streak has folks optimistic, he avoids a playoff dud. Game won hit Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern on ABC, so keep an eye on Pritchard to see if he keeps the machine humming straight through the postseason.